Masked Man
by Seddielover945
Summary: Inside Elena's struggles with keeping her distance away from Damon, even as she finds herself drawn to him. Missing moments from Season One. Damon/Elena. Post 1x02, one-shot.


She barely knows him, yet, her mind travels to him more than she'd like for it to. The only thing she's sure about is that he's a devil in disguise. His black hair, and those neon blue eyes always, drawing women to him from afar. He's danger and trouble, and for once, she intends to listen to others and keep her distance from him.

That doesn't last for as long as she hoped it would have.

The first time (since they met) she runs into him is on her way into the boarding house in search of his brother.

As she attempts to move past him, he grins (and no, it's not one of those smirks either). "Elena." He says her name, tilting his head to the side to study her. Those piercing eyes, causing a bubble to rise in her stomach. The look he is giving her is one of curiousity, as if he's silently reading into her thoughts.

"Damon." She mocks, pressing her lips into a line. She scoots past him and up the stairs to Stefan's room.

The second time is sometime later when she's just beginning to accept the whole vampire thing. This just happens to be a run in, or maybe she just likes to think of it that way. But really, it's his way of interrogating her. He's trying to crawl around under her skin, and it's not a good feeling.

She's sitting at The Grill, nestled in between Matt and Bonnie. Caroline's across from them, stirring a straw around in her iced tea. It's then when the bomb decides to drop.

Matt's eyes shoot daggers as a figure appears next to the booth. "What do _you_ want?" His tone is directed at Damon, but he's watching for a reaction from Caroline.

"I'd like to speak to Elena," He nods at her, his eyes sending off 's something behind them that makes Elena's skin itch. She opens her mouth, glancing from her friends, and then back to Damon.

"Who says she wants to talk to you?"

"Bonnie-"

"No, Elena I got this." As the witch raises a hand, Elena grabs it.

"Really," She promises. "It's okay. I can talk to him," She squeezes out of the booth, dragging Damon into the corner near the bathrooms. " _What?"_

"Don't even give me _that_ look. I can see how you are over there."

"What do you mean?" She crosses her arms.

"You're not having a good time Elena," He nods to the booth she just came from. "All those fake smiles may be be fooling your friends, but I can see right through them."

"Why are we talking about this?"

He raises an eyebrow, his lips turning into a mock smile. "What? I can't be concerned about your happiness, Elena?"

She snorts.

"Is there a _real_ reason why you wanted to talk to me, or are you just being an ass?"

He doesn't answer.

I'm going to go," She shakes her head, turning away from him. "They're probably debating wether you kidnapped me." Her face holds all seriousness as she uncrosses her arms.

"I meant what I said," Damon calls out to her as she begins to walk away. "You know I'm right."

She doesn't respond, but there is a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. _He isn't lying._

She scoots into the booth beside Caroline this time, ignoring the way Matt's looking at her. "What did he want?"

Elena resists the urge to chew her lip, turning her head to the door. She watches Damon slip out into the night air after he sends a nod in her direction (no cheeky grins this time).

She looks back at Matt. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." There, the conversation is dropped, and they all proceed to move along with their night.

A week later, she's helping Caroline clean out her car in the driveway of her house.

"How can you possibly have this _much_ junk in here?"

Caroline wrinkles her nose. "I have _no_ idea."

Elena nods, feeling a certain presence behind her.

"Elena, Caroline." Damon nods.

"Damon," Elena's voice is monotone. "I was expecting you to be Stefan."

"My brother is a little _occupied_." He shoots a look in her direction, mouthing 'bunny hunting'.

It's Caroline's turn to speak. "So, he sent _you_?" A look of disgust pases her face as turns to Elena. "I'll see you at Bonnie's later, right?"

Elena opens her mouth, then closes it, nodding. She's about to protest, telling Caroline that she doesn't have to leave, but one look at Damon, and they back at Care, she knows it's probably the best option.

"So why are you here?" She turns to the black haired vampire, watching Caroline's car pull out of the driveway from the corner of her eye. "Because we both know Stefan wouldn't have actually sent you. He's hellbent on keeping you _away_ from me."

A brief look passes over Damon's face, but it's so quick, Elena's not sure she actually saw it in the first place. It takes him a second, but he responds, stepping closer to her. "Ah, yes, my brother. He's always the dogooder, always father's favorite son. But, as of right now, he's slipping, slowly. His control is weakening. You may think he's got it all together Elena, but he hasn't."

"You're warning me," She says, locking eyes with him. "It doesn't sound like you Damon."

He tilts his head to the side. "How would you know? Like you said, Stefan's trying to keep you away. All you know about me is one sided."

 _That's true._

There's not much she can say to that. Turning her head away, she's almost nervous to look him in the eye. Again, he's right. She has no clue who he _really_ is. Actually, she's not sure he know who he is. He seems to be a man who trying to find himself again through this town and his search for his lost lover.

The mask goes up again, almost immediately. "If you see my brother tell him I was looking for him."

"But you weren't-"

He winks, and then, he's gone.

She's with Stefan, sitting beside him on his bed watching him read. Biting her lip, Elena decides to break the ice. "Why do you hate Damon so much?"

Stefan looks up from his book, almost stunned, but the looks fades quickly. He locks eyes with her, almost expecting this conversation sooner or later. "I don't." It's a simple answer, and Stefan hopes that it will satisfy her.

It doesn't.

"Oh please Stefan. Anyone could see that the two of you don't exactly see eye to eye."

"It's something that happened a _long_ time ago Elena, and my brother just can't let it go." Elena's about to ask another question, but by the look on Stefan's face she can tell that he doesn't want to discuss it any further.

Climbing off the bed, she turns to him. "I'm going to go get a drink." She almost asks him if he wants anything, but he doesn't do human food. As she makes her way out the door, he doesn't look up from his reading.

The light is on in the kitchen when gets there. Slowly, she pulls down her sleep shorts, suddenly feeling self conscious.

Damon's there, his back turned to her. He's rifling through a cabinet, a box of cereal in his hand. "Are you looking for something?"

He turns, and Elena's suddenly aware of that fact that he's in his pajamas. "I thought someone would have bought decent cereal in this house." He shakes his head, laying the box on the counter, and walking to the fridge.

He's so serious about it, Elena almost laughs. The way he moves around the room, so natural, it makes him seem almost normal… human even.

"I wouldn't picture you as a cereal eater."

He meets her eyes behind the fridge door. "I have my moments," He shrugs, reaching for a jug of milk before he closes the door behind him. He watches her. "What did you come down here for?"

"A drink."

He nods, pointing towards the refrigerator.

She gets her water, leaning against the counter. She watches him pour his cereal, taking in the way he spoons it into his mouth. She's not trying to be creepy, just curious. "How come you eat?"

"Hmm?"

"Stefan never does, so I just kind of assumed…"

He shakes his head, moving the cereal around in his milk. "He's not much on the human stuff," His eyes twinkle. " _Both_ ways."

His words don't require any more explanation, she understands. "You are then?"

Damon's lips turn up at the edges. "Just because I'm not human doesn't mean I can't enjoy the advantages of a human, that includes the food." His words hide a double meaning again.

Elena nods, leaving it at that. "I should get back up there," She nods to the stairs. "Stefan will be wondering why I've taken so long. So." She says. "Goodnight then." Damon nods, taking her glass from her hand and setting it in the sink.

Somehow, that night sits as a peace offering between the two, and Elena can't help but think of that night in her kitchen before she knew the Salvatore brother's secret. Damon almost seemed… real.

Three weeks later Elena's angry at Stefan and she's not one who forgives easily. Especially not this time.

He had lied to her. He'd lied to her about Katherine and god only knows if there was anything else.

She's sitting in the passenger seat of Damon's car, wrinkling her nose from the smell of gasoline on his shirt. It had been a rough night, for both of them. He had dragged her to Georgia after she had flipped her car. Needless to say, it hadn't been her own conscious decision.

He pulls into the parking of a small motel, killing the engine, and leaning back in his seat. He looks at her. "Are you okay?"

She nods, slowly.

"Would you have told me?"

"Told you what?" His brows are raised, hands resting on the steering wheel.

"About Katherine. You know, if I had asked? You know... after I knew about the two of you."

Damon lets his arms drop to his lap, turning his body slightly in the seat so he can get a better view of her face. "I would have told you anything you wanted to know," As he speaks, he watches her hold back a yawn. "Come on," He nods towards the motel. "You're tired, and if I'm going to have to drive you back tomorrow, you need to sleep off the alcohol."

Pausing with her hand on the door handle, she locks eyes with him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For this. For this five minutes. I needed it,"

The drive back the next day is a long and boring one. He drives, not daring to let her touch his car even though she offers.

Elena's mind is locked on anything else but home and all that they left behind. She doesn't even begin to think of Stefan. Instead, she thinks of this trip, of Damon, and how maybe he's not as bad as Stefan had made him out to be.

"What happened between you and Stefan?"

"A centuries old brotherly feud, that all came long because of one girl, Katherine Pierce. She was the mastermind behind the whole plot. I don't think she ever expected it to go as far as it did." He makes a face, his hands tightening on the steering wheel for a moment.

"What do you mean?" Elena questions, eyes going a bit wide.

"She played the two of us against each other, but like I said before, my brother's answer is sure to differ from mine."

"You make it sound like the two or you were her puppets."

"And she was the master," He nods, glancing her Elena's direction. "She was the reason why I wanted to become a vampire. Then, my brother happened and long story short, by the time I found out, he was already in love with her."

Elena's about to question him again for more information, but she decides to leave it there. She'd find out everything eventually. She doesn't want to pry, and stir up feelings inside of him. Even though, he's been safe, she's still not sure what to expect out of him. He's still Damon Salvatore the ruthless, older brother of the good one. Even though she's still listening to all the stereotypes, she's seen a good (better) side of Damon, and she's wondering if everything else is all an act. But, maybe there's a part of him that's lived on the wild side for so long that he's adapted to that person.

She can never really be sure, at least not yet.

She's done a bad thing. A _very_ bad thing. She's betrayed Damon Salvatore's trust whether he knows it or not. She told Stefan that she would help him stop Damon from getting Katherine out of the tomb. Katherine Pierce the only women Damon has had eyes for, and had truly cared for in the last century.

She's sitting in Stefan's car (passenger seats side) on the way to the cemetery. Tonight is the night, the night they put the plan into action.

She can feel Stefan's looking at her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." _No she's not._ She's scared that this plan was the wrong thing to agree to. She's having second thoughts. Somehow she knows Damon's happiness is worth this. Deep down, she knows Katherine will make him happy.

"Are you sure?" _He's prying._

"I'm fine Stefan." Her voice means business, but she can't bring herself to back of the deal (not now) because there's always the possibility that Stefan's right.

But, there's also the chance that he's not.

Elena can't get Damon's words from her head. He trusted her and she let him down. Of course, Stefan did too, but he trusted her more.

 _"But you... you had me fooled."_ God, his words left a sting even more than his blood had left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Truthfully, she never really believed that he would snap her neck. The pain in his eyes was so pure that it shined like a light, and she was the one that noticed. _Not Stefan._

A cup of tea is handed to her by Stefan before he sits down on her bed. His finger traces the side of her face. "Are you alright? Did Damon hurt you?"

Elena takes a sip of her tea. "I'm okay. Stefan _really_ I'm fine." She's fine physically, maybe not so much mentally.

"I should have known, it's Damon. He was bound to look into it more. I shouldn't have asked you to do it. He's _always_ bound to snap at some point. That's what he does and I shouldn't have put your life in danger like I did," He watches her face. "I'm so sorry Elena."

She doesn't answer him. She has no idea how to.

"Have you ever thought about it?" She chews her lip, setting the tea cup down on her nightstand.

"About what?"

"About the fact that you maybe you don't really know Damon after all?"

"Are you _defending_ him after what he did tonight?

"No. I-I just don't know if we made the right choice tonight. Maybe Katherine is the best thing for him. He can get her out of the tomb, and they can skip town, _together._ "

"He's not capable of _real_ feelings Elena. He may be my brother, but he's not capable of trust or love. The only person he cares about is himself."

"And Katherine," Elena tells him. "You didn't see the pain in his eyes tonight after what happened. He's hurt Stefan."

"He's Damon. He doesn't get hurt."

She scoffs, crossing her arms. "Everyone does. Some people just have a better way of masking it. If I know anything, I know you have to give people a chance."

"You don't think I've tried that. Every time I do Damon finds a way to screw it up."

"Have you _ever_ given him a good reason to trust you? I don't know much about what happened when the two of you turned, but I do know that you have to be able to give a person a reason. He must have some reason," She chews her lip, trying to move past the look Stefan is giving her. "Damon may not be human, but he was once. He still has human qualities in there somewhere too."

Stefan doesn't answer, he just leans over and presses a kiss to the crown of her head. This is the way she knows the conversation has come to a halt.

Elena hasn't ever been one to defend a person for doing wrong, but she's slowly starting to make an exception for the elder Salvatore brother, but _just_ on this. She truly believes that his motive is because of something great and means a lot to him. He has his reasons, and for now, she's okay with not knowing what they are.

For some reason, she trusts Damon's judgement on the situation. Somehow, she sees someone in him that she knows better than anyone, herself. They both are quite the same, both having and stubborn streak, and not being able to trust people without good reason.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Stefan plants a small kiss to her lip.

Elena nods, silently glad to be alone for the night to reflect on her own thoughts without being judged by a second party.

She watches Stefan walk out of her room, but as he goes, she strangely wishes that it wasn't him. She secretly wishes that the person here tonight wouldn't have been Stefan.

In all her years, Elena Gilbert has never wanted anything more than to know the _real_ man behind the mask that is Damon Salvatore.

 **I really hope everyone is in character because it's quite the change to write season one delena, to season 5 or 6. Honestly, I have no idea where this came from, but I do know I got the idea to write this inspired by a fanfic from EldestSalvatore. I sat down at my laptop, and this just sort of happened.**

 **I'm really proud of this story, and I wished they would have addressed some of this in between scenes on the show. Damon's development is one of my favorite things about TVD as is Delena's journey. I do wished that in the earlier seasons Elena would have reacted better to the fact that Stefan didn't tell her about Katherine. I think she forgave him way too quickly after she got back with Damon from Georgia. I feel like it was a bit OOC on her part (but that's just one of the things that the writers have looked over. I could go on about that forever).**

 **Like always, I proofread, but I may have missed something.**

 **I hoped you all liked this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)**

 **XOXO,**

 **Megan.**


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